US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said he will meet Mexico’s president on Wednesday, hours before he sets out proposals to crack down on illegal immigration that have stirred up widespread anger
among Mexicans. The hastily arranged trip will be Trump’s second significant appearance on the world stage during his presidential campaign.
A June visit to his golf courses in Scotland was dominated by his reaction to Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.
The meeting with President Enrique Pena Nieto looked to be the type of dramatic, Trump-style event to ensure he dominates the headlines as he tries to close a gap in national opinion polls that now favours his
opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.
“I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow,” Trump said on social network Twitter on Tuesday.
The Mexican government, which has bristled at Trump’s threats to wall off Mexico and tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement, also confirmed the meeting in a tweet, saying Trump had agreed to meet Pena Nieto
in private.
Pena Nieto later tweeted about the meeting, then added: “I believe in dialogue to promote Mexico’s interests in the world, and chiefly, to protect Mexicans wherever they are.”
Trump has been pilloried by media in Mexico since he launched his presidential campaign last year with a barrage of broadsides against the country, saying it sent rapists and drug dealers north across the border.
The meeting appeared to be a gamble by Pena
Nieto, whose popularity has slumped to all-time lows, and opposition politicians reacted with dismay. “Be part of the campaign of a candidate dedicated to insulting us? Why?” said former interior minister Alejandro Poire, retweeting #TrumpNotWelcome hashtags on Twitter.
Border wall Trump has said, if elected on November 8, he would carry out his pledge to build a wall along the US southern border with Mexico to prevent illegal crossings into the United States.